SunPower Corp., a global solar technology company and an affiliate of Total, has signed a power purchase agreement to supply 300 GWh of solar energy per year to Metro de Santiago, a public transportation system in Santiago, Chile.
The power will be generated from the El Pelícano Solar Project, a 100 MW AC project near the municipalities of La Higuera and Vallenar. Construction of the solar plant will begin this year, with operation scheduled for the end of 2017. SunPower says the contract is expected to cover up to 60% of Metro’s energy demand.
“SunPower is proud to serve Metro of Santiago’s growing energy demand with cost-competitive, renewable solar power,” says Eduardo Medina, SunPower’s executive vice president of global power plants. “Solar is an ideal energy source for Chile because of the country’s high solar resource and transparent energy policies. In partnership with Total, SunPower is committed to the continued growth of our business in Chile.”
“This contract is expressing Chile’s commitment for a sustainable world,” says Bernard Clément, senior vice president of business and operations at Total’s New Energies energies division. “This project supports our ambition to become the responsible energy major.”
SunPower will design and build the project and provide operations and maintenance once it is operational. The company will construct a SunPower Oasis power plant system at the site.
